The following tips were distributed to Credit Unions to help them with outreach efforts during Credit Union Youth Week by the Credit Union National Association (CUNA). For the financial literacy partners that are not credit unions, the tips are also helpful to help publicize your activities.
PR Tips to Make Your Celebration a Success
As you celebrate Youth Week this month, consider investing a little time in public relations. PR efforts can be just as important to your success as the event itself. The good news is that it’s easy to advertise your celebration if you take advantage of a few tips.
First, here’s a simple guideline. Be timely.
Youth Week happens in April, so it’s less likely your celebration story will be published when May or June rolls around. If you’ve already started celebrating, act ASAP. If you’re not celebrating until next week, get a head start.
Now for the tips on getting your story published…
1) Write a short summary. Conciseness is another important guideline to follow. When putting together your story, focus on one or two outstanding celebration activities. A succinct story is a readable story. Also provide a title and maybe even a quotation, along with all your contact information (name, title, phone number, and email address). The more work you do upfront, the easier you make it for an editor who may publish your story.
2) Take some photos. Pictures and visual aids make your story come alive. Consider taking a shot of a child making a deposit or members engaged in a fun contest. Make sure to identify the people in the photograph.
3) Make a video. If you have the resources, a video clip can be particularly effective. For example, can you capture 60 seconds of a youngster explaining why she likes her credit union? Keep it brief, and online publications or local TV just might carry it.
4) Send off your story. When you’ve got your summary, photos, and video ready for publication, there are a number of mediums at your disposal. Try these:
- Your local newspaper – If the newspaper comes with a website, your chances are even better.
- Your sponsor groups – Many have newsletters (paper or electronic) and would especially enjoy photos of their employees, members, or children.
- Your local schools – If you visit or partner with a school during Youth Week, be sure to send them your Youth Week summary or calendar of events, along with any photos taken during the visit. In addition to their website, most schools publish a newsletter or newspaper periodically.
- Your local TV stations – While this medium is a little less probable, contact them ahead of time and offer to send in your summary, photos, and video. The producer may decide to review your “press kit” and end up taking an interest.
- Your credit union’s website – This one’s a no brainer. Share your Youth Week plans on the homepage, or even create a special page. If you distribute a newsletter (paper or electronic), include something in there too.
5) Use social media. If your credit union has a Twitter or Facebook page, or maybe even a blog, make a few posts and add your photos and videos to grow awareness of your celebration. With social media platforms, it is especially important to abide by the “short and sweet” guideline. Twitter and Facebook users like to read brief, clever things. If your posts are convincingly interesting, people may even retweet/like/share your content!